Russia’s Energy Minister Alexander Novak has said that Russian natural gas deliveries to the European Union remain reliable despite the fresh dispute between Russia’s Gazprom and the gas company of Ukraine through which gas deliveries to the EU flow, the European Commission Vice-President for Energy Union Maroš Šef?ovi? said on Sunday. Last week, just hours after an arbitration court had ruled in favor of Naftogaz in a long-running payment dispute between the Ukrainian state company and Gazprom, a fresh gas dispute flared up after Naftogaz said that Gazprom had not stood by its commitment to resume gas supplies, forcing Ukraine to reduce gas usage amid Arctic temperatures. The new rift comes after years of bitter disputes between the gas companies of Russia and Ukraine, exacerbated by the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea. Last Wednesday, the Stockholm arbitration court ruled in favor of Naftogaz in the payment dispute with Gazprom, […]